Medical English Journal of Medical English Education The official publication of the Japan Society for Medical English Education

Transcription

1 Journal of Medical English Education Vol. 5 No. 1, August Japanese National Medical Licensing Examination: Now Is the Time to Add Even a Mini-Section in English In the Interest of World Health Care 2Introduction of English to the National Medical Licensing Examination Raoul Breugelmans, J. Patrick Barron, Keiko Yamamoto Integrating the English Classes with the Medical Reuben M. Gerling 21 Curriculum Importance of Humanistic Studies for Future Health Care Reiko Nakamura 25 Professionals and Ruri Ashida Collocational Deviation Involving possibility/probability Hiroshi Ohtake 33 in English Abstracts by Japanese Medical Researchers and Brian Morren 45 DVD Report on an English Speed-Reading Course with Possible Transfer of Reading Skills onto Listening Skills: A Classroom Trial on Nursing Students Using DVD Movies 55 Needs Analysis of Nurse-to-International-Patient Communication in Japan Continuing Professional Education: Collocational Deviation Involving possibility/ 64 probability in English Abstracts by Japanese Medical Researchers Official Journal of Japan Society for Medical English Education (JASMEE)

2 Medical English Journal of Medical English Education The official publication of the Japan Society for Medical English Education Executive Chair, JASMEE publications Shizuo Oi, Tokyo Editor-in-Chief Nell L. Kennedy, Hokkaido Associate Editor Haruko Hishida, Shizuoka Editorial Executive Board J. Patrick Barron, Tokyo Sachiko Ohtaki, Kanazawa Hiroshi Ohtake, Kyoto Shigeru Nishizawa, Shizuoka Toshio Oki, Shizuoka Yasuko Iida, Tokyo Minoru Oishi, Tokyo Tsutomu Saji, Tokyo Yoko Nakasu, Shizuoka Akira Takahashi, Sendai Masako Shimizu, Okayama Yasuko Onjoji, Editorial Advisory Board Jeremy Williams, Chiba Mitsuko Hirano, Shizuoka Christopher Holmes, Tokyo Hisashi Naito, Hokkaido Kazuko Hamanishi, Toyama Nakaya Saito, Hawaii USA Former Editor-in-Chief Shizuo Oi, M.D., Executive Advisor Emeritus Kenichi Uemura, M.D. Journal of Medical English Education Vol. 5 No. 1 1

3 Guidelines for Authors Submitting Manuscripts to Medical English 1. Article categories and Journal aims Medical English, the official publication of the Japan Society for Medical English Education (JASMEE), is interested in articles on English education for medical purposes, including clinical medicine, nursing, rehabilitation, dentistry, laboratory technician work, research, and international medical activities such as reading and writing medical papers, making oral presentations, participating in forums, seminars, symposiums, workshops,and international conferences. Categories are the Original Article, Special Article, Short Communication, and Letter. Original Articles involve quantitative and qualitative research ranging from discourse analysis and needs assessment to materials development and teaching/testing techniques. The Special Article is by invitation from the editor or is the address by a guest speaker or symposium participant at the annual JASMEE conference. 2. Preparing the manuscript 2.1. Articles may be submitted in English or Japanese The manuscript should be prepared on either Macintosh or Windows/DOS Use Page Layout 25-to-26 lines per A4 page, 12- point typeface of a common font such as New Times Roman, Arial, Times, or Century. Margins: Left 30 mm; Right 25 mm; Top 30 mm; Bottom 25 mm. Maximum length: about pages, including the Title Page, text, figures, tables, and references Number all pages consecutively, beginning with the Title Page as p. 1 and including every page that has a Table or Figure Submit the manuscript in normal Page Layout without the tracking protection tool Do not use footnotes, op cit, or Ibid. 3. Title Page Order of information on the Title Page: 3.1. A concise, informative title, centered near the top of the page. The 1st line of the title ought to be slightly longer than the 2nd line. Avoid abbreviations and formulae where possible. For example, instead of SLA, write Second-language Acquisition. A subtitle is seldom necessary, as the key information can usually be included in the base title Author names and affiliations. In the order agreed upon by the authors, write the full names without academic degrees. Use asterisks to designate authors from more than one institution, as in 3.3 below; the asterisk goes AFTER the author s name and AFTER the comma. Example: Jun SUZUKI,* Arnold PALMER** and Helen KELLER* 3.3. Full names of the institutions and departments where the research was done, and City, and Prefecture (State and Nation if outside Japan). If authors are from different institutions, put one or more asterisks BEFORE the institution name. Example: * ABC Medical University, English Department, Nanai, Hokkaido ** XYZ Medical University, School of Nursing, Gunma 3.4. Keywords. A maximum of six keywords or short phrases that would help in indexing the article Corresponding author. Name of the author (with job title, e.g., Professor, Doctor) who will handle correspondence throughout the editorial process; name the university and department affiliation, full address, telephone and fax numbers, and address For all authors, give the address, telephone and fax number If part of the paper was presented orally or as a poster at a meeting, then at the bottom of the Title Page put the title of the meeting, sponsoring organization, exact date(s), and the city where the meeting was held. 4. Abstract 4.1. A maximum of 250 words (about one A4-size page). May be in 11-point typeface if necessary, to contain the Abstract on a single page State the background in one or two sentences (see 6.3 below), objective of the investigation in one sentence, then describe the Methods (study design, study population, protocol) in the past tense; Results (main finding or major contribution) in the past tense; and finally the Conclusion (or recommendations) in the present tense. Be concrete and avoid saying merely, was investigated or This paper describes. 5. Text 5.1. Use either American or British English, but do not mix the two in the same article Indent the first line of each new paragraph Abbreviations should be kept to a minimum and spelled out at first mention, giving the full term 2 Journal of Medical English Education Vol. 5 No. 1

4 first, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Example: English as a foreign language (EFL). In both humanities and natural science, e.g. (for example), i.e. (that is, namely) are preceded and followed by a comma. Standard metric units (mm, cm, μl, L, mg) can be used without definition but must be accompanied by a numeral; symbols and metric units do NOT take a period. Common units such as sec, min, h (units of time do not use the plural form) are used only in combination with a numeral but cannot substitute for the full word in the sentence. Example: The test was 80 min long. But NOT The test took several min. NOT For most students, an h was enough time Reference citation. Cite each reference as a superscript number matching the number in the References section of your paper. The superscript citations usually appear, without parentheses, at the end of the sentence, the end of the paragraph, or the end of a quotation. If more than one superscript is used, the numerals are separated by a comma but no space. The superscript goes AFTER the comma or period Author-and-date citation, i.e., the Harvard system, known also as the American Psychological Association (APA) system, will NOT be used in forthcoming issues of this Journal. 6. Arrangement of the article 6.1. Divide your article into clearly defined and/or numbered sections. Subsections may be numbered 1.1 (then 1.1.1, 1.1.2) etc Each subsection should be given a short heading. Subsections are helpful for cross-referencing within the paper. Instead of just saying, as mentioned above, we try to guide the reader by saying... as shown in above or as aforementioned (1.1.3), or as explained under Evaluation above Introduction. First, give the general topic, or territory, of the research in one or two sentences. Example: How to help students hone their English listening skills is a standing concern of teachers, and especially for those teaching medical students. After that, explain your rationale and lead up to the problem the paper is addressing, then state the objective of your research or of your classroom approach. References are often cited in the Introduction, but subsections are discouraged in favor of keeping the Introduction brief Methods. In the past tense, briefly describe your study design or classroom trial succinctly. Tell explicitly what was done, how many students were involved, what academic year they were in, what materials were used, how much time the study took (from when to when, if appropriate). Subheads are helpful in lengthy Methods Results. Each result is stated in the past tense. Results and Discussion may be independent divisions of the paper or may be combined into a single division of the paper, depending on the author s preference. Although each result is stated in the past tense, the discussion and generalization of the results are in the present or present progressive tense. Prudent use of verb tense helps the reader distinguish between the author s local findings and the applicability of the findings to situations beyond the study being reported Conclusion. The Conclusion is usually the last subdivision or final paragraph of the Discussion, but a separate Conclusion is permissible. The conclusion is NOT a repetition of the Results but a presenttense generalization derived from the results Acknowledgments. If you express appreciation to someone for help with the data collection, analysis, manuscript, or for a grant, a brief Acknowledgments section is appropriate between the main text of the paper and the References Figure legends, tables, figures in that order may be collated at the end of the article, provided the text is marked to indicate the approximate location where each figure and table is intended. At the TOP of each table, number the tables consecutively according to their order of mention in the text and make a short title for each. Table footnotes, if any, belong immediately below the bottom line of the table. Vertical lines are not necessary inside the table except in special cases. If figures are embedded in the text, put the figure number and legend BENEATH each figure. 7. References 7.1. Switch off any automated Reference Manager, such as EndNote, ProCite, or other software you may have used, thus allowing editors to make stylistic conformation of the References if necessary a. Preferred order: Citation order (the Vancouver method, modified slightly). List the references according to the order cited in your text, putting the family name of the authors first, followed simply by the initial or initials of the person s name without punctuation (Examples below). b. Alternative order: Alphabet and number. The Journal of Medical English Education Vol. 5 No. 1 3

5 references may be listed alphabetically, provided the entries are also numbered consecutively. Although the citation order is preferred, Medical English currently allows either style as a way to meet the needs of the unique JASMEE blend of social science and natural science scholars Journal article (Example 1 below). Author(s). Year. Article title. Journal name Volume(Issue number. optional) page numbers. The article title is written in lowercase except for the first word and proper nouns. In the Journal name, the first letter of each word is in uppercase, and the Journal name is italicized. The full Journal name is preferred. The word Vol. does not appear but the volume number is in boldface, followed by a non-bold colon, then the page numbers. Caution: 5(1): but NOT Note: p. or pp. is NOT used in Journal entries Book (Example 2). The Book Author(s) or Editor(s). Year. Book Title. City: Publisher name p. number (optional if several scattered portions were used) Book chapter (Example 3). The Chapter Author(s). Chapter title. In: Editor names (Eds.) Year. Book Title. City: Publisher name pp. numbers. The chapter title is written in lowercase except for the first word and proper nouns, and is followed by In: Book Title. In the Book Title, uppercase is given to the first letter of each word except prepositions and articles, and the Book title is italicized. Page numbers for the full chapter are designated by p. or pp. followed by the numbers. Caution: pp but NOT pp Journal articles or book chapters having 7 or more authors may list the first 4 authors followed by et al Numbered references to personal communications, unpublished work, or manuscripts in preparation or submitted are unacceptable. Examples: 1. Gledhill C The discourse function of collocation in research article introductions. English for Specific Purposes 19: Sinclair JM Corpus, Concordance, Collocation. pp Oxford: Oxford University Press. 3. Nylenna M and Hagve TA. Small journals and non-english language journals. In: F. Godlee, T Jefferson (eds) Peer Review in Health Sciences. pp London: BMJ Books. 4. Sackett DH, Rosenberg W, Gray J, Haynes R, and Richardson W. Evidence-based medicine: What it is and what it isn t. < net/ebm_is_ isnt.asp> (Accessed December, 2004). 5. Hishida H and Hirano M Teaching material using Web site information on nursing. Medical English 4(2): In Japanese Medical English 5(1): SAS Use s Guide th edn. Vol. 1, Version 6. Gary, NC: SAS Institute. 8. Submission of the paper 8.1. A manuscript will be considered for publication with the understanding that it is being submitted solely to Medical English and that all pertinent sources of support and information have been acknowledged. Submission of an article implies that the work has not been published elsewhere (except perhaps as an Abstract in a conference Program or Proceedings) and that the work does, in fact, belong to the author(s) named on the Title Page Submit the manuscript by attachment to <jasmee@medicalview.co.jp> If the manuscript cannot be sent by attachment, then send the file on CD or floppy disk accompanied by three sets of the printed manuscript, to: Editorial Section, Medical English, Medical View Co., Ld Ichigaya honmuracho, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo , JAPAN Phone Fax jasmee@medicalview.co.jp These materials will not be returned unless a return envelope and sufficient postage are provided by the author(s) The Transfer of Copyright must be signed by all authors and sent to the JASMEE office by regular post. The Consent of Submission form appears near the end of this Journal The authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to reproduce materials that have been published or that involve the property or privacy of anyone other than the authors. Infringement or violation of rights includes the use of copyrighted materials such as figures or tables, the use of pho- 4 Journal of Medical English Education Vol. 5 No. 1

6 tographs that may identify an individual, and quotation of unpublished results or private communications. 9. Japanese Articles When writing an article in Japanese, use 10.5-point typeface of a common Japanese font, and follow most of the English Guidelines (except Reference Example 5). In addition, provide English in 4 places: (1) Just beneath the Japanese title of the article, provide an English title, (2) put the Author name(s) in Roman characters under the Japanese name(s), (3) name the Institution and Department in Roman characters just below the same author affiliations in Japanese, (4) provide the Abstract in English only. Temporary Japanese Instructions (), currently under revision, are shown below the English Guidelines. 10. Student submissions Articles prepared by students will be considered on a limited basis. All manuscripts are subject to the Guidelines for Authors, and the Title Page must include the name of a teacher, who may or may not be a co-author of the work submitted, who will serve as the Contact Person throughout the editorial process. Provide addresses and telephone and fax numbers where the Editors might reach someone for consultation even if the student author may have graduated WJEMA special articles, speeches, presentations, debates, and short communications must include a Title Page listing a teacher and/or other contact person with addresses and telephone and fax numbers where the Editors might reach someone for consultation. 11. Review of Manuscripts All manuscripts except Special Articles will be evaluated by 2 reviewers assigned by the Editors. 12. Proofreading Galley proofs of accepted manuscripts will be sent to the authors shortly before publication of the Journal. Typographical errors and errors in the data will be corrected upon return of the proofs to the JASMEE Office. 13. Reprints Reprints are available free of charge for 20 copies or fewer when ordered with the returning of the proofs. The cost of copies exceeding the first 20 will be charged to the author(s). Journal of Medical English Education Vol. 5 No. 1 5

7 2 3 Windows Macintosh 3 1 FAX A4 10, A4 400 Instructions for Authors MKS mgmlsec et al 1. Gledhill C The discourse function of collocation in research article introductions. English for Specific Purposes 19: Sinclair JM Corpus, Concordance, Collocation. pp Oxford: Oxford University Press. 3. Nylenna M and Hagve TA. Small journals and non- English language journals. In: F. Godlee, T Jefferson (eds) Peer Review in Health Sciences. pp London: BMJ Books. 4. Sackett DH, Rosenberg W, Gray J, Haynes R, and Richardson W. Evidence-based medicine: What it is and what it isn t. < net/ebm_is_ isnt.asp> (Accessed December, 2004) Medical English TEL FAX E mail jasmee@medicalview.co.jp 6 Journal of Medical English Education Vol. 5 No. 1

8 Editor s Perspective Empowering Tomorrow s Health Care Professionals by Meeting the Needs of Today s Students This issue of the Journal shows innovative educators on the lookout for new ways of presenting ideas to the students and making scholarly and conscientious efforts to equip them for real encounters beyond the classroom. As with the symposium presentations, all the papers on classroom trials and other research attest to the authors academic excellence coupled with a genuine respect for the practical. One paper specifically addresses the wide gap between the two-year general studies program and the upper years of medical studies, during which the students forget much of their English. To help them retain more English, a program has been instigated by which the younger students focus on a number of diseases, immersing themselves in a diverse series of colorful booklets, then the groups present their findings to the class, discuss the results, and evaluate each other s presentations by thinking, communicating, and reasoning together. Other papers address: The issue of how to meet the multilingual needs of nurses for communicating with international patients requiring hospital care in Japan; The issue of word compatibility versus the unnatural English resulting from transfer of the Japanese counterpart when one is writing research papers for the journals; and The ever-present issue of just how to go about training the students in their development of listening power as opposed to a reading-only course. Still another angle, heart-to-heart communication, is brought out in a paper exploring how medical schools in the U.S. and U.K. put their students in touch with the total patient by having the students experience a little poetry and other literature, which, like music and other art forms, may have a power of its own to draw one human to empathize with another. Informed by the philosophy of physicians like William Osler and Shigeaki Hinohara, the coupling of literature with medicine adds a bit of spice to the Journal menu and rekindles the debate over the integration of science and literature. If not in spite of but perhaps because of an already bulging curriculum, the paper offers a compelling argument for the socio-psychological value of student encounters with literature. Through the pages of the Journal, the authors have openly and bravely transmitted their collective wisdom to fellow-teachers. We sincerely welcome feedback from readers and invite each and every one of you to submit your own papers to forthcoming issues of the Journal. Nell L. Kennedy, Editor-in-Chief, for JASMEE Journal of Medical English Education Vol. 5 No. 1 7

9 7 Japanese National Medical Licensing Examination: Now Is the Time to Add Even a Mini-Section in English In the Interest of World Health Care Minoru Oishi Department of Neurology, Nihon University Nerima Hikarigaoka Hospital ECFMG Certification 1 SARS PubMed Cochrane Library homepage.mac.com/minoru_oishi E mail TEL FAX E MAIL minoru_oishi@mac.com lidocaine[láˆd6kèˆn]schema[skí\m6] sulci [s%lsa]tabes [téˆbiz] 160/95mmHg one hundred sixty over ninety five4 x 6 four by six Z [zí:] A' A prime Journal of Medical English Education Vol. 5 No. 1 9

10 7 ascites [6sáˆti\z] cecum [sí\k6m] diastase [dáˆ6stèˆz, -stèˆs] genitalia [dωèn6téˆlj6] hiatus [haˆéˆt6s] iodate [áˆ6dèˆt] iron [áˆ=n áˆ6n] xanthoma [z2n óum6] lipase [láˆpeˆs] opaque [oupéˆk] rhinitis [raˆnáˆtˆs] vagus [véˆg6s] sciatica trigeminal [traˆdωém6n(6)l] 1 30 cm1 2.5 cm kg104 F 40.0 C 20/ / / CD ROM 1999 Printemps Kimura 1 1 Paget s disease Cajal s cell Colles fracture Houssay phenomenon Alexander s disease Alias Stella phenomenon Basedow s disease Mikulicz disease Hurler s syndrome Simchowicz granules Simmonds disease Danysz phenomenon Krebs cycle Ludwig s ganglion Anitschkow cell Lobstein s ganglion Pavlov method nucleus of Darkschewitsch Bourneville s disease Apert s syndrome Crafoord clamp Lembert suture Lindau s disease Froin s syndrome Bergenhem s operation Malgaigne s fossa Hayem s disease Békésy audiometry Jendrassik s maneuver Giannuzzi s cells Korányi method Majocchi s disease Civinini s canal Leeuwenhoek s canals Voorhoeve s disease Boerhaave s glands 10 Journal of Medical English Education Vol. 5 No. 1

11 Stellwag sign Buchwald atrophy Ludwig nerve Lembert suture Froin s syndrome Hayem s disease petit mal absence Ramsay Hunt syndrome 1 Adams Stokes syndrome 2 Brown Séquard syndrome famotidine 10 mg, 2 tablets, P.O., b.i.d. 10 mg mg 10 mg mg 10 mg mg2 a dosage of 20 mg/day in two divided doses dosage dose 1 P. O.per os, by mouth b. i. d.bis in die, twice a day 2 Basedow s disese occurs most frequently in a. the first and second decades of life. b. the second and third decades of life. c. the third and fourth decades of life. d. the fourth and fifth decades of life. e. the fifth and sixth decades of life. Basedow Graves disease first decade fourth decade d 2 q. d. quaque die semel in d. semel in die 1 1 b. i. d. bis in die 1 2 t. i. d. ter in die 1 3 q. i. d. quater in die 1 4 q. 4 h. quaque 4 hora 4 p. r. n. pro re nata stat. statim h. s. hora somni a. c. ante cibum p. c. post cibum P. O. per os ad lib. ad libitum M. misce Sig. signa gtt. gutta Journal of Medical English Education Vol. 5 No. 1 11

12 7 7 Introduction of English to the National Medical Licensing Examination Raoul Breugelmans, J. Patrick Barron, Keiko Yamamoto International Medical Communications Center, Tokyo Medical University The idea of introducing English into the National Medical Licensing Examination (NMLE) has been under consideration for more than two decades as of July Without going into the question of the various necessities and merits, we will discuss the practical aspects of how this can be implemented on a national level, based on our personal experience teaching English for medical purposes (EMP) at Tokyo Medical University (TMU), and also based on discussions with members of the Medical English Communications Research Association (MECRA) and the Medical Interpreters and Translators Association (MITA). We will first introduce what we see as possible types of questions to include in the NMLE, either testing examinees in English about their clinical knowledge, or testing them on their medical English ability per se. If English were to be included in the NMLE, this would necessitate significant changes in English education at medical schools. We will present our ideas on an integrated EMP curriculum covering the 1st through 6th year of medical school, which we are currently in the process of implementing at TMU, and which we believe will prepare students not only for English questions on the NMLE but also for a career in academic medicine. Finally, we will discuss the main problems that we anticipate to arise should such an integrated EMP curriculum be implemented on a national level, namely guaranteeing the uniformity of teaching contents, the training and recruitment of qualified EMP teachers, the development of teaching materials, the uniformity of examinations, the weight given to EMP in the total evaluation, and the relationship with English tests for the residency matching program. In this respect, I will discuss how, in addition to the important role JASMEE is already playing, it can be even more instrumental in solving some of these problems. We believe that the purpose of having English on the NMLE should be to prepare students for functionally interacting in medicine using English. Doctors should be able to download information in English from the Internet, read and understand it, and if necessary, write letters with questions. Any English test on the NMLE should therefore not be a test of general English ability, but rather a test of ability in EMP. Test Construction We will now introduce what we see as possible types of questions to include in the NMLE. One possibility is to test examinees in English about their clinical knowledge, using translations of the equivalent Japanese language questions that are currently used, or using case presentations in English with questions in English but answers in Japanese, either written or multiple choice. Another possibility is to test examinees on their medical English ability per se, using questions that test terminology, communication, logical thinking, and comprehension of papers. In this paper we will focus on the latter. Let s take a closer look at the four categories: terminology, communication, logical thinking, and comprehension of papers. 1. Terminology To test terminology, there could be multiple choice questions in English only, as in the following example. Example 1 What is the meaning of blepharospasm? A) any disease of the eyelid B) twitching of the eyelid C) radiography of the hand D) cramping of the hand 12 Journal of Medical English Education Vol. 5 No. 1

13 Alternatively, the multiple choice questions could contain both English and Japanese, as in the following example. Example 2 What does cytology mean? 1. Study of disease in general a. 2. Study of cells b. 3. Study of tissue c. 4. Study of function d. A) 4 and d B) 1 and a C) 2 and c D) 2, 3 and b E) none of the above 2. Communication To test communication, examinees could be asked to select phrases suitable for communication among colleagues, and phrases suitable for communication with patients, as in the following example. Example 3 Which of the following phrases can be used to ask a patient with dyspnea if his/her condition is aggravated on exertion? 1. Do you feel short of breath when you exercise? 2. Do your symptoms get worse when you have a cigarette? 3. Do you feel better when you move around? 4. Do your symptoms get worse when you move around? 5. Does cessation of exercise relieve the headache? 6. Do you breath more easily when you don t smoke? A) 2, 6 B) 1, 4 C) 5 D) 1, 3 E) none of the above 3. Logical thinking, reasoning To test logical thinking, examinees could be asked to order sentences to reconstruct a mini abstract, as in the following example. Example 4 Order the following sentences to make a miniabstract 1. We randomly assigned patients with completely resected pathological stage II adenocarcinoma of the stomach to receive either oral A B for two years or no treatment. 2. Randomization was performed with stratification according to the pathological tumor category, sex, and age. 3. A subgroup analysis disclosed that most patients who benefited had pathological stage II adenocarcinoma. 4. X patients were assigned to receive A B and Y were assigned to observation. 5. In a previous phase 3 trial of chemotherapy after resection of gastric cancer, a combination of A and B taken orally was shown to extend survival. 6. Adjuvant chemotherapy with A B improves survival among patients with completely resected pathological stage II adenocarcinoma of the stomach. 7. The difference in overall survival between the two groups was statistically significant in favor of the A B group (P = 0.03 by a stratified log-rank test). A) B) C) D) E) Comprehension of journal papers Finally, to test examinees on the comprehension of papers, the test could include actual abstracts that examinees are asked to read, followed by questions about the content of the abstract. Educational Preparation 1. Curricula revision Next, we will take a look at how we believe the EMP curricula at medical schools need to be revised should English be included on the NMLE. Recently, we have seen an increased interest in EMP from our students. Each year we conduct a survey of our first- and third-year students on their awareness of the importance of EMP, and the results of the survey conducted in July 2004 (unpublished observations) show a marked increase in interest. How do we explain this sudden increase in awareness? We believe that one reason for this increased interest is the introduction of the residency matching program. Some institutions have started including English examinations as part of their selection procedures for the residency matching program. This Journal of Medical English Education Vol. 5 No. 1 13

14 7 has made students much more aware of the importance of EMP. For the first time in history, Japanese medical students now actually need EMP in order to enter the institutions of their choice. We have also seen a great increase in membership of the English Speaking Society (ESS) of Tokyo Medical University, from only 20 students in 2000 to 48 in If inclusion of English on the residency matching program examinations of some institutions has this much effect on students, then inclusion of English on the NMLE would have a tremendous impact. There would be a huge demand and pressure from both students and institutions for EMP programs. What then is the ideal EMP program? We would like to inform readers about the program that we are currently developing at TMU. It will be an integrated EMP curriculum covering the first through the sixth year of medical school, except the fifth year, which is devoted to polyclinic rotations. The main aims will be to provide all students the basic ability to function in medicine in English and to prepare students so desiring for a career in academic medicine. It will be designed to be flexible to adapt to future developments such as with the residency matching program and the NMLE. The first through third year component will be compulsory and based mainly on medical English terminology. At TMU, we divide our students by level into five groups of approximately 22 students, taught by five teachers. Group A is the highest level, group B is the second highest level, and then group C, D, and E are divided alphabetically, because dividing them further would result in great difficulty teaching group E. The aim of these three years is to teach medical students to understand medical terminology, learn the Japanese equivalent, and also be able to explain it to lay persons. Currently we are using a textbook named Building a Medical Vocabulary, which was written for native English speaking persons working in fields related to medicine who are not medical doctors, e.g., people working in the medical insurance industry, who need to know the medical vocabulary. The elective fourth year will consist of reading, reporting and discussing medical topics. The sixth year will also be an elective course and will be aimed at students who are interested in publishing in medicine and building an academic career. What are the problems to be solved should medical English be included in the NMLE? Qualified EMP teachers need to be trained and recruited, and educational materials need to be developed. The uniformity of teaching content and examinations needs to be guaranteed. The weight given to EMP in the total evaluation and the relationship between English tests and the residency matching program need to be considered. 2. Teacher training and recruitment We will now take a more detailed look at each of these problem areas. One of the main problems is the training and recruitment of qualified EMP teachers. If English were to be included in the NMLE, there would be a huge demand for EMP courses, and there would also be a huge shortage in qualified EMP teachers. Training somebody to become a qualified EMP teacher is not something that can be done overnight. Now is therefore the time to develop teachers. a. Teaching medical English It was with this in mind that MITA ( medica.jp/mita) was founded in MITA is an informal research group that now has over 160 members. It holds monthly meetings and also has a mailing list. Its main purpose is to promote the interests of medical communicators, including translators, interpreters, editors and teachers, but a secondary purpose is to identify and develop EMP specialists. Freelance medical translators are the most likely candidates for teaching EMP on a part-time basis, because they have experience with medical English and Japanese, and have relatively flexible schedules that enable them to teach on a part-time basis. b. Editing papers for journal submission The English requirements of medical schools are not Fig. 1. Articles from Tokyo Medical University indexed on MEDLINE. 14 Journal of Medical English Education Vol. 5 No. 1

15 limited to the need for EMP education. Medical schools also have a need for publication of research in top level international biomedical journals. We therefore believe that there is a need for medical schools to establish medical communications centers such as the International Medical Communications Center (IMCC) at TMU or the Section of Scientific Publications at the Mayo Clinic. The IMCC has a dual role: the editing of research papers from TMU and the EMP education of TMU students and staff. The staff of the IMCC consists of two full-time instructors/editors, two assistants, and three part-time instructors. As a result of the establishment of the IMCC in 1989, the number of publications from TMU has greatly increased, as shown in Fig. 1. If more doctors are going to have basic English ability, there also will be more publishing. However, these papers will still need to be edited, as is the case even at the Mayo Clinic in the US, where most of the authors are native English speakers. The Mayo Clinic established a Section of Scientific Publications in 1908 with its main role being the editing of scientific manuscripts for peer review. Medical communications centers can effectively increase the acceptance rate of papers submitted to international journals. The staff of such centers can be involved in both the editing of manuscripts and the EMP education of undergraduate medical students, graduate students and researchers. Not all institutions have the funds for establishing a center, and one center could, therefore, cover multiple institutions. Establishing medical communications centers, therefore, is a solution for the two needs of medical schools: the need for education and the need for increased publications. To facilitate the establishment of such centers, two of the authors (JPB and RB) founded MECRA last year, with Dr Ito, the president of TMU, as its president, and Dr Uemura as a founding director. The main objectives of MECRA are to promote the establishment and functioning of medical communications centers in Japanese medical educational institutions, in particular medical schools and medical universities, to facilitate the flow of medical information from Japan, and to promote the professional and educational development of individuals interested in medical English communications. Another obstacle to the training of qualified EMP teachers is the lack of quality reference and study materials available for those who are interested in pursuing a career in EMP education. Recently, however, textbooks have been developed which can be used for self-study by EMP teachers. One such publication is, 1) a series of three textbooks which were published in Japanese in May The series is aimed at Japanese medical researchers wishing to develop an international career and it covers all areas of international medical communications. Designed to be used either as a selfstudy text or as a reference book, it is also ideal for future teachers of EMP. Other books which are suitable for such use are, 2) and ) The University of Edinburgh has developed a summer course in the teaching of English for medicine, which is very much recommended for those involved in EMP education. It is a two-week intensive course open to native and non-native speakers of English who have two years of language teaching experience, but not necessarily in EMP. To train qualified EMP teachers, we also recommend establishing electives in medical communications in English departments of non-medical universities. The focus of such courses would be on medical translation and the aim would be to give prospective English teachers a basic knowledge of medical terminology, without the fear of medical English which is so common among teachers of general English. We also propose the establishment of a certificate program for EMP teachers along the lines of the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) workshops offered at AMWA conferences. Such programs could cover a range of basic through advanced workshops taught by EMP specialists and it could possibly be organized by JASMEE, maybe as part of future JASMEE conferences. 3. Materials development In addition to the training and recruitment of qualified EMP teachers, another major problem is the development of teaching materials. Recently a book called English for Doctors by Mária Györffy, 4) was published in a Japanese version with translation by one of the authors (JPB). JASMEE is also working on textbooks, which will be a three-part series covering a very wide area from simple English to rather advanced medical communications. However, there still is a huge lack in high quality teaching materials for EMP and more materials will need Journal of Medical English Education Vol. 5 No. 1 15

16 7 to be developed. The uniformity of teaching contents and examinations has to be guaranteed. There has to be a core curriculum to make sure that the same minimum requirements are met; otherwise, students of one school would have an unfair advantage over those of another when sitting for the NMLE. Therefore, a uniform textbook and curriculum, maybe supervised by JASMEE, should be implemented on a nation-wide scale. It is impossible to have the same examination in every medical school, but examinations could be composed of certain modules. On each examination the same weight could be given to each module. For example, grammar could be 50%, medical terminology could be 30%, and advanced medical expressions could be 20%. There would be a bank of questions for each module from which different universities could select. For example, the bank could consist of 1,000 questions, from which University A selects 20, University B selects 20, and so on. This would guarantee not only uniformity of content, but uniformity of level. This bank could also be managed by the examination committee of JASMEE. The weight given to EMP in the total evaluation is another issue that needs to be considered. Within each institution, this should be up to the discretion of the faculty of the institution. On the NMLE, medical English should be phased in gradually. At first, 5% of the total exam could be in English, and this could be raised gradually, eventually to 20% of the evaluation reflecting the ability to function in English. With regard to the relationship with English tests for the residency matching program, introduction of medical English to the NMLE could result in all new physicians having a basic ability in EMP, because the NMLE is a requirement for becoming a physician. The residency matching program then would serve as a further selection. Each institution can bring its own focus to bear on how they want to design the English component of their residency matching examination. Some institutions may be more interested in candidates who can handle large amounts of information in English, others may be more interested in having doctors who can relate to patients in natural English, some may want residents who can go on to a career in international academic medicine. To get into the institutions of their choice, students will, therefore, need advanced ability in EMP, and there will be a need for advanced elective EMP courses tailored to the students needs. If EMP is introduced to the NMLE, a basic level of functioning in English would be an unavoidable necessity for all medical students in Japan. That ability should be part of the evaluation of the NMLE. There is a need for assuring a certain uniform basic level in the curricula of all medical schools, and JASMEE could play an important role in this. For evaluation of English ability over and beyond that level, it will be a matter to be decided on by each institution. We hope that the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare will take these thoughts into consideration in its approach to future NMLE examinations. References 1. B. J.P Journal of Medical English Education Vol. 5 No. 1

17 A , I Textbook of English for Medical Purposes, Volume I: Building Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension B , II Textbook of English for Medical Purposes, Volume II: Entering Scientific English in Context Nell L. Kennedy B , Journal of Medical English Education Vol. 5 No. 1

18 15 B , Word Word 2003, 2002, 2000 B , Microsoft Word Word Word Microsoft Word 2000, 2002, 2003 Let's create your one & only! A , Journal of Medical English Education Vol. 5 No. 1 19

19 Integrating the English Classes with the Medical Curriculum Reuben M. Gerling Nihon University School of Medicine Background and Objectives: The need for English in medicine is an established fact, yet at this particular school a teaching programme that will reflect this reality has not yet been integrated into the curriculum. This paper describes an alternative teaching programme that has been developed to equip the students with some of the English they will need. Methods: The programme teaches in English clinically related material to first and second-year students. The students are divided into groups and each group studies a different clinical condition using a text from a series published with the help of the British Medical Council. They learn how to use the medical information they acquired in writing medical transcriptions. Results: Although students found it difficult at times to cope with concepts that they had yet to learn, they approached the tasks with enthusiasm and produced work that, although far from perfect, showed understanding of the subject and an improvement in their English. Conclusion: Although an integrated programme would have been preferable, this course does introduce the students to the subject-matter and will enable them to deal with the challenges of medical English which they are certain to face. Key Words: Medical English; integration; gap between learning and application In the modern field of medical education, the curriculum has been divided into a core curriculum and associated degrees, studies that may prove helpful but are not crucial to the future doctor. 1,2 The first tries to define the knowledge and skills that the graduate medical specialist will need, whereas the second tries to provide the medical student with a broader and more comprehensive view. As the changes have taken root at an increasing number of medical institutions, especially in Europe and North America, a third area of medical skills has been added and a list of skills that the graduate medic needs has been compiled. 3 Whereas these are mostly clinical skills, the present article will argue that English, in its narrow medical application, is also a skill without which the modern doctor cannot survive. The need for English is self-evident. Most medical Correspondence: Reuben M. Gerling Nihon University School of Medicine 30 Oyaguchi Kamicho, Itabashi, Tokyo Phone Fax E mail gerlingr@med.nihon-u.ac.jp publications are in English, and those that are not are usually translations from the English. Communication among doctors at the international level, e.g., at medical conferences, is almost entirely in English and 70% of the Internet is in English. The Internet has become an increasingly important source of information and any attempt to instigate international cooperation and instruction via the Internet will inevitably be in English. 4 Isolation versus integration As, however, integrated modern teaching methods are slow to make inroads in Japan, the teaching remains divided and isolated. English is taught as a separate, unrelated topic and its relevance remains a theoretical concept. When asked, most medical students will agree that they need English and that it is important, but they are rarely going to apply themselves to the study of the language with the necessary energy as long as it is a separate learning field. In terms of time devoted to each field of learning, English will always prove insignificant in comparison with the main language of instruction, Japanese, 5 and students will find it difficult to employ this skill without being provided with any immediate, practical Journal of Medical English Education Vol. 5 No. 1 21

20 benefits. The question stands, therefore, as to what English teachers can do in order to rectify the situation in such a manner that when the students begin to feel the need for English, they will not find themselves, like so many Japanese doctors forced to sit with a dictionary and labour through a long, not so easy text, translating it word by word. The first possibility is (1) to teach English without any reference to the medical curriculum. Providing a full programme of English ought to result in the students being able to work with the language, whatever their needs. They could then apply it to medicine themselves. As this option is not open to most medical institutions, there remains the second possibility, (2) to integrate the English curriculum with the main medical curriculum. The approach at Nihon University School of Medicine Without an integrated curriculum, and with English at Nihon University School of Medicine restricted to the first two years, the English teacher may find it difficult to integrate language skills that students will need two years later a sort of remote integration. This is the dilemma that faced us. We, therefore, devised a programme that aims to rectify the situation so that when students reach the upper years they will still possess some practical ability in the language. We have, therefore, devised a programme based on medical transcriptions. This is a field that medical specialists will certainly need. With it they can deal with papers in their field, understand professional talk and be able to read the literature without resorting to the dictionary with each sentence. Methods The students work in groups. Each group is given a text, a book explaining one clinical topic, such as Parkinson s disease, diabetes or heart surgery. 6 Each group of students receives a different text. The groups study their texts and supplement them with medical texts and the Internet. Once they have mastered their topic, each group gives an oral presentation explaining its topic. They then learn how to write up a case report about one aspect of the condition they have learned. They are also taught to work with other types of medical transcription such as referrals, consultation letters and operative reports in addition to learning to understand laboratory reports. 7 The cases are presented to the class to elicit questions and discussion and the teacher explains points of English at the end of each discussion. Assessment 1. The weakest point of this programme is the time lapse between the lessons (first and second year) and their application (mainly fifth- and sixth-year students). In a lecture-examination type curriculum, students learn to finish whatever they are doing at each stage without carrying it to the next stage. Thus, when reviewing anatomy for the state exams, for example, they will usually study it anew rather than review something they have learned during their early years. As language is a skill, i.e., something that demands regular use if proficiency and retention are to be achieved, the gap of two years or more without practicing their newly acquired language skills may undo whatever the students may have achieved. 2. Another disadvantage to the programme is that the first and second-year students are not yet familiar with the subject matter being studied. Difficult medical concepts are beyond their comprehension at this stage. The texts we use, however, are designed for the layman, namely patients and other interested persons, and the students usually do not find them overly difficult. They sometimes are not able to follow some of the professional works they consult, either in book or journal form or on the Internet. At the same time, consulting these works gives them a chance to get used to professional medical oriented writing, a type of writing they will encounter for the rest of their professional life. 3. There may also be some objections to the fact that the English teachers are not experts in the medical topics being introduced. There is, however, evidence that non-expert tutors are just as good as, if not better than, the medical professionals An advantage of the programme is that, as the students learn more about the particular medical condition they have been assigned, they are able to explain things both to the teacher and to their fellow students, who will have tackled different clinical cases. This creates a more egalitarian situation and adds meaning to the work the students do. 5. One additional factor needs attention in evaluating this programme. First-year students are more enthu- 22 Journal of Medical English Education Vol. 5 No. 1